Former Deputy Attorney General, Dominic A. Ayine, has rendered an “unqualified apology” to the Justices of the Supreme Court after he was cited for contempt of court for suggesting that the judges had predetermined to rule against former President John Dramani Mahama, who filed a petition challenging the 2020 presidential election result.
He had been summoned before the court to show cause why he should not be punished for the comment he made which scandalized the courts.
His lawyer, Frank Beecham had told the court that Dr. Ayine regretted the word used and had realised the errors of his ways, begging the court to tamper justice with mercy.
Scandalous Statement
Dr. Ayine, who is a member of the legal team of the petitioner, while addressing the media on February 6, 2021 after the court dismissed Mr. Mahama’s application to reopen his case, suggested the court had a “predetermined agenda” to rule against the former President for reducing the five-issue case to one.
He told the press that “It is not true that there is only one issue that needs to be determined in this matter. I am surprised that the Supreme Court itself, having set out five key issues to be determined, is now reducing the issues to one, which is whether the extent to which the evidence that we have led shows that no one got more than 50 per cent of the votes in accordance with Article 63 of the constitution.”
He continued that “These are all germane issues under the constitution and laws of Ghana and to reduce the petition to a single-issue petition is rather unfortunate and smack of a predetermined agenda to rule against the petitioner in this matter.”
Contempt
He was later cited for contempt by the court and he subsequently wrote to the Supreme Court aplogosing for the words used.
His lawyer, Mr. Beecham pleaded profusely for clemency for Dr. Ayine, saying his client was very remorseful for his comments which the judges acknowledged was a dangerous one.
Mr. Beecham said it was not Dr. Ayine’s intention to scandalize the court, and said it would not happen again.
The court accepted the apologies of the counsel but said that as a former Deputy Attorney General he should have weighed the consequences and implications of his utterances about judgments of the Supreme Court.
The court said it was not going to hand any form of punishment to the contemnor but warned him to refrain from any such unguarded statements against the court.
The court, however, ordered him to purge himself of contempt by retracting the scandalous statements through the very same medium before Thursday, February 25, 2021.
Public Apology
Right after the court proceedings, Dr. Ayine addressed the press and rendered an unqualified apology to the Supreme Court, particularly the panel hearing the election petition.
“I am here this evening in respect of the remarks that I made to you on the February 16 after court proceedings. I have looked at what I said that day and I have come to the conclusion that I went overboard, I crossed the line with respect to the remarks that I made in terms of attributing impropriety to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana.”
He continued that “I remember on the February 16 when I finished addressing the press, he (Frank Davies, a member of the legal counsel for President Akufo-Addo) walked up to me and reminded me that the phrase that I had used that there was a predetermined agenda had crossed the line. That is when I started thinking about whether or not I had crossed the line and I agree absolutely with Mr. Frank Davis and those of you who think that I crossed the line on that day.”
“I wish to unreservedly apologise to the court, that is the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana as well the justices in particular who sat on that day. There was no intension on my part to impugn their integrity. I was just expressing a sentiment with respect to the ruling that day and I want to render an unqualified apology and to retract the words that I used that in their entirety unreservedly,” Dr, Ayine added.
The court will sit February 25, 2021 to hear the contempt case.